The Cleveland Browns cannot escape the doubt surrounding their quarterback position. With a rotation that primarily consists of Josh McCown in need of a major bounce back year and Johnny Manziel who has yet to show any real potential, fans are not thrilled at the prospects. That has fueled rumors of trades and releases leaving head coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer to clear things up.
Earlier in the offseason, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported the Browns were "90 percent done" with Manziel and would seek a trade of the quarterback. That brought up a report by the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the Browns attempted to trade Manziel to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for Sam Bradford. Farmer is making it clear that the Browns are not trading Manziel and never planned on it despite the reported interest in Bradford.
"You'd have to ask Sam,'' said Farmer, via Cleveland.com. "I've had no connection with Sam, I haven't spoken to him. I do not know the answer to that question."
While they are committed to Manziel, they have done their homework on Marcus Mariota and Pettine made it clear that a trade up is not totally out of the question. The team wil explore options and if the deal is right, the Browns could make the move. However, the team is not wagering their whole draft class on the one player.
"I think everybody's at the point where all the teams call around,'' said Pettine. "They call each other. Everybody says, 'Hey, we're looking to trade up. We're looking to trade down.' You never truly know until you get close. People naturally assume that we can be a part of it because of having the extra pick, maybe having a little bit more ammunition than some other teams would."
Farmer also made it clear he was interested in moving up for a position player. The team has held workouts for Amari Cooper and Kevin White along with top running backs. The Browns are in need of getting a top wide receiver considering they have a rotation that leaves a lot to be desired. If they are not going to be able to move up to the top two picks for a quarterback, getting up to at least No. 4 for a receiver might be the smarter move.
